Drawing Lessons from Dissolution of Czechoslovakia in Addressing Possible Brexit Implications
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8733/21 HVW/Io 1 LIFE.1 Delegations Will Find in Annex a Joint Declaration by Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgar
Council of the European Union Brussels, 12 May 2021 (OR. en) 8733/21 AGRI 218 ENV 305 PESTICIDE 16 PHYTOSAN 17 VETER 37 PECHE 146 MARE 14 ECOFIN 437 RECH 212 SUSTDEV 61 DEVGEN 95 FAO 16 WTO 133 NOTE From: General Secretariat of the Council To: Delegations Subject: Joint Declaration of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Visegrad Group (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania on the opportunities and challenges for farmers stemming from the Farm to Fork strategy - Information from the Polish delegation on behalf of the Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian and Slovakian delegations Delegations will find in Annex a joint declaration by Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania on the above subject, concerning an item under "Any other business" at the Council (''Agriculture and Fisheries'') on 26-27 May 2021. 8733/21 HVW/io 1 LIFE.1 EN ANNEX Joint declaration of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Visegrad Group (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, on the opportunities and challenges of agricultural holdings in light of the Farm to Fork Strategy On 21 April 2021 the Polish Presidency of Visegrad Group organized a videoconference of Ministers of Agriculture of the Visegrad Group: (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia (GV4+4). The main topic of the discussion was the opportunities and challenges of agricultural holdings in the GV4 + 4 countries in light of the Farm to Fork Strategy. The Ministers also exchanged views on the Strategic Plans of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). -
Socio-Cultural Conditions of Societal Transformation: the Case of Slovakia
Folia geographica 5 SOCIO-CULTURAL CONDITIONS OF SOCIETAL TRANSFORMATION: THE CASE OF SLOVAKIA Karol KASALA I Introduction Thcre were changing positions of single constituent parts in the story of human civilization. Culture, above all as a precondition for human action, was the most important clement of society in its archaic age of traditional society. Rationalism and especially technical progress led later to the rise of an idea of "economism" with its chief goals: progress and modernity, economic and industrial growth (not development) with great efforts at acceleration of production and the ideologies of consumerism, variety and rising choices, and increasing standard of living. West ern rationalism and economism - based on the Judco-Christian thought tradition, ideas of rationalism and Enlightenment, technical progress and successes of in dustrial Revolution - led to extensive crises. Ecological and enviromental issues, unrenewable resources, congestion, famine, food and social and regional inequal ities poblems, accelerating rhythms of economic crises and thcir social impacts, institutional and power-relations crises, problems of social and health care and urban issucs, losses of ccrtainties and frustrations from rising expectations .... all these issues indicate world-wide view changes. And so we arc witnessing the rising importance of the social and cultural sphere of human civilization, because the changes arc primarily social in their character (position of the individual in the society. changing power relations, hierarch ies and gender relations, social role of the state, social inequalities more problematic than economic inequalities, and so on). This article deals with culture and culturally conditioned social processes and phcnomena, and therefore it does not include problems such as minorities, mobil ity and migration, political, ownership and economic reconstruction institutions, democratization process, social impacts of economic transformation, organization of the society, powershifts, and many others. -
Flash Reports on Labour Law January 2017 Summary and Country Reports
Flash Report 01/2017 Flash Reports on Labour Law January 2017 Summary and country reports EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Unit B.2 – Working Conditions Flash Report 01/2017 Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) The information given is free, as are most calls (though some operators, phone boxes or hotels may charge you). LEGAL NOTICE This document has been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://www.europa.eu). Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2017 ISBN ABC 12345678 DOI 987654321 © European Union, 2017 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Flash Report 01/2017 Country Labour Law Experts Austria Martin Risak Daniela Kroemer Belgium Wilfried Rauws Bulgaria Krassimira Sredkova Croatia Ivana Grgurev Cyprus Nicos Trimikliniotis Czech Republic Nataša Randlová Denmark Natalie Videbaek Munkholm Estonia Gaabriel Tavits Finland Matleena Engblom France Francis Kessler Germany Bernd Waas Greece Costas Papadimitriou Hungary Gyorgy Kiss Ireland Anthony Kerr Italy Edoardo Ales Latvia Kristine Dupate Lithuania Tomas Davulis Luxemburg Jean-Luc Putz Malta Lorna Mifsud Cachia Netherlands Barend Barentsen Poland Leszek Mitrus Portugal José João Abrantes Rita Canas da Silva Romania Raluca Dimitriu Slovakia Robert Schronk Slovenia Polonca Končar Spain Joaquín García-Murcia Iván Antonio Rodríguez Cardo Sweden Andreas Inghammar United Kingdom Catherine Barnard Iceland Inga Björg Hjaltadóttir Liechtenstein Wolfgang Portmann Norway Helga Aune Lill Egeland Flash Report 01/2017 Table of Contents Executive Summary .............................................. -
Reflections on Contemporary Georgia – Vision from Czech Republic
Reflections on Contemporary Georgia – Vision from Czech Republic Written by Bakar Berekashvili Note: This article is simultaneously published for the newspaper The Georgian Times on 15 October 2007 „There is no guarantee that the civil society is always benign. But we must take the risk. The civil society corresponds to the historical possibilities of man and history as a drama of good and evil. This is the dignity of man: the choice of good and evil.“ Merab Mamardashvili Brief Discourse on Georgia’s Desire to become European Democratic Country Georgia’s political and social aspirations are an open secret. These aspirations are based on country’s strong desire to build democracy and civil society in Georgia, to integrate into the European space of democratic and civic values and thus to confirm again for modern world that Georgia is a democratic European state. But definitely the task is not so simple, it is very challenging and still full with various obstacles. Georgia still has to pass a long way of democratization in order to achieve its democratic goals and finally to be formed not transitional democracy but real democracy in our own country. In Czech Republic, where I live now, it took approximately 10 years to become democratic country. Since 1989 when communism died in this country, Czech Republic started rapid consolidation of democratic values that was doubtlessly led by Václav Havel. Currently, Czech Republic returned to its hostorical roots and enjoys to be democratic European country. However, here I mean no way that there are no problems in Czech Republic and that here we have absolute democracy. -
European Parliament: 7Th February 2017 Redistribution of Political Balance
POLICY PAPER European issues n°420 European Parliament: 7th February 2017 redistribution of political balance Charles de Marcilly François Frigot At the mid-term of the 8th legislature, the European Parliament, in office since the elections of May 2014, is implementing a traditional “distribution” of posts of responsibility. Article 19 of the internal regulation stipulates that the Chairs of the parliamentary committees, the Deputy-Chairs, as well as the questeurs, hold their mandates for a renewable 2 and a-half year period. Moreover, internal elections within the political groups have supported their Chairs, whilst we note that there has been some slight rebalancing in terms of the coordinators’ posts. Although Italian citizens draw specific attention with the two main candidates in the battle for the top post, we should note other appointments if we are to understand the careful balance between nationalities, political groups and individual experience of the European members of Parliament. A TUMULTUOUS PRESIDENTIAL provide collective impetus to potential hesitations on the part of the Member States. In spite of the victory of the European People’s Party (EPP) in the European elections, it supported Martin As a result the election of the new President of Schulz in July 2104 who stood for a second mandate as Parliament was a lively[1] affair: the EPP candidate – President of the Parliament. In all, with the support of the Antonio Tajani – and S&D Gianni Pittella were running Liberals (ADLE), Martin Schulz won 409 votes following neck and neck in the fourth round of the relative an agreement concluded by the “grand coalition” after majority of the votes cast[2]. -
Slovak Republic
Doing Business 2020 Slovak Republic Economy Profile Slovak Republic Page 1 Doing Business 2020 Slovak Republic Economy Profile of Slovak Republic Doing Business 2020 Indicators (in order of appearance in the document) Starting a business Procedures, time, cost and paid-in minimum capital to start a limited liability company Dealing with construction permits Procedures, time and cost to complete all formalities to build a warehouse and the quality control and safety mechanisms in the construction permitting system Getting electricity Procedures, time and cost to get connected to the electrical grid, and the reliability of the electricity supply and the transparency of tariffs Registering property Procedures, time and cost to transfer a property and the quality of the land administration system Getting credit Movable collateral laws and credit information systems Protecting minority investors Minority shareholders’ rights in related-party transactions and in corporate governance Paying taxes Payments, time, total tax and contribution rate for a firm to comply with all tax regulations as well as postfiling processes Trading across borders Time and cost to export the product of comparative advantage and import auto parts Enforcing contracts Time and cost to resolve a commercial dispute and the quality of judicial processes Resolving insolvency Time, cost, outcome and recovery rate for a commercial insolvency and the strength of the legal framework for insolvency Employing workers Flexibility in employment regulation and redundancy cost Page 2 Doing Business 2020 Slovak Republic About Doing Business The Doing Business project provides objective measures of business regulations and their enforcement across 190 economies and selected cities at the subnational and regional level. -
Double Taxation Treaty Between Ireland and Czech Republic
Double Taxation Treaty between Ireland and Czech Republic Convention between Ireland and the Czech Republic for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital Ireland and the Czech Republic, desiring to conclude a Convention for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital, have agreed as follows: 1 Article 1 Personal Scope This Convention shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States. 2 Article 2 Taxes Covered 1. This Convention shall apply to taxes on income and on capital imposed on behalf of a Contracting State or of its political subdivisions or local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied. 2. There shall be regarded as taxes on income and on capital all taxes imposed on total income, on total capital, or on elements of income or of capital, including taxes on gains from the alienation of movable or immovable property. 3. The existing taxes to which this Convention shall apply are: a. in Ireland: i. the income tax; ii. the corporation tax; and iii. the capital gains tax; (hereinafter referred to as "Irish tax"); b. in the Czech Republic: i. the tax on income of individuals (dan z prijmu fyzickych osob); ii. the tax on income of legal persons (dan z prijmu pravnickych osob); and iii. the tax on immovable property (dan z nemovitosti); (hereinafter referred to as "Czech tax"). iv. 4. The Convention shall apply also to any identical or substantially similar taxes which are imposed after the date of signature of the Convention in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. -
A Case of Youth Activism in Matica Slovenská
65 ETHNOLOGIA ACTUALIS Vol. 15, No. 1/2015 MARTIN PRIE ČKO Between Patriotism and Far-Right Extremism: A Case of Youth Activism in Matica slovenská Between Patriotism and Far-Right Extremism: A Case of Youth Activism in Matica slovenská MARTIN PRIE ČKO Department of Ethnology and World Studies, University of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava [email protected] ABSTRACT This case study discusses a youth branch of Matica slovenská, a pro-Slovak culture organization. It is based on in-depth research of the structure of the organization and it focuses on basic characteristics of functioning of this social movement such as funding, membership base, political orientation, civic engagement, patriotic activities and also the causes of negative media presentation. Presented material pointed to a thin boundary between the perception of positive manifestations of patriotism and at the same time negative (even extremist) connotations of such manifestations in Slovak society. This duplicate perception of patriotic activities is reflected not only in polarization of opinion in society but also on the level of political, media and public communication. Thus, the article is a small probe from the scene of youth activism with an ambition to point out to such a diverse perception of patriotic organizations/activities in present-day Slovak society. KEY WORDS : Matica slovenská, youth, activism, state-supported organisation, patriotism, Far-Right Introduction Young Matica (MM – Mladá Matica) represents a subsidiary branch of Slovak Matica (MS – Matica slovenská), which is a traditional cultural and enlightenment organisation with DOI: 10.1515/eas-2015-0009 © University of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava. -
Twenty Years After the Iron Curtain: the Czech Republic in Transition Zdeněk Janík March 25, 2010
Twenty Years after the Iron Curtain: The Czech Republic in Transition Zdeněk Janík March 25, 2010 Assistant Professor at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic n November of last year, the Czech Republic commemorated the fall of the communist regime in I Czechoslovakia, which occurred twenty years prior.1 The twentieth anniversary invites thoughts, many times troubling, on how far the Czechs have advanced on their path from a totalitarian regime to a pluralistic democracy. This lecture summarizes and evaluates the process of democratization of the Czech Republic’s political institutions, its transition from a centrally planned economy to a free market economy, and the transformation of its civil society. Although the political and economic transitions have been largely accomplished, democratization of Czech civil society is a road yet to be successfully traveled. This lecture primarily focuses on why this transformation from a closed to a truly open and autonomous civil society unburdened with the communist past has failed, been incomplete, or faced numerous roadblocks. HISTORY The Czech Republic was formerly the Czechoslovak Republic. It was established in 1918 thanks to U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and his strong advocacy for the self-determination of new nations coming out of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after the World War I. Although Czechoslovakia was based on the concept of Czech nationhood, the new nation-state of fifteen-million people was actually multi- ethnic, consisting of people from the Czech lands (Bohemia, Moravia, and Silesia), Slovakia, Subcarpathian Ruthenia (today’s Ukraine), and approximately three million ethnic Germans. Since especially the Sudeten Germans did not join Czechoslovakia by means of self-determination, the nation- state endorsed the policy of cultural pluralism, granting recognition to the various ethnicities present on its soil. -
International Migration in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the Outlook for East Central Europe
International Migration in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the Outlook for East Central Europe DUŠAN DRBOHLAV* Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague Abstract: The contribution is devoted to the international migration issue in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (Czechoslovakia). Besides the contemporary trends, the international migration situation is briefly traced back to the communist era. The probable future scenario of international migration development - based especially on migration patterns that Western Europe has experienced - is also sketched, whilst mainly economic, social, political, demographic, psychological and geographical aspects are mentioned. Respecting a logical broader geopolitical and regional context, Poland and Hungary are also partly dealt with. Statistics are accompanied by some explanations, in order to see the various „faces“ of international migration (emigration versus immigration) as well as the different types of migration movements namely illegal/clandestine, legal guest-workers, political refugees and asylum seekers. Czech Sociological Review, 1994, Vol. 2 (No. 1: 89-106) 1. Introduction The aim of the first part of this contribution is to describe and explain recent as well as contemporary international migration patterns in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (and the former Czechoslovakia). The second part is devoted to sketching a possible future scenario of international migration development. In order to tackle this issue Poland and Hungary have also been taken into account. In spite of the general importance of theoretical concepts and frameworks of international migration (i.e. economic theoretical and historical-structural perspectives, psychosocial theories and systems and geographical approaches) the limited space at our disposal necessitates reference to other works that devote special attention to the problem of discussing theories1 [see e.g. -
Czech Development Cooperation in Bosnia and Herzegovina Icons Icons 48
CZECH DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ICONS ICONS 48 17 ICONS: COLOUR VERSION ICONS 48 ICONS NO ZERO GOOD HEALTH QUALITY GENDER CLEAN WATER POVERTY HUNGER AND WELL-BEING EDUCATION EQUALITY AND SANITATION CZECH DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA 17 ICONS: COLOUR VERSION NO ZEROAFFORDABLE AND GOODDECENT HEALTH WORK AND QUALITYINDUSTRY, INNOVATION GENDERREDUCED CLEANSUSTAINABLE WATER CITIES RESPONSIBLE POVERTY HUNGERCLEAN ENERGY ANDECONOMIC WELL-BEING GROWTH EDUCATIONAND INFRASTRUCTURE EQUALITYINEQUALITIES ANDAND SANITATION COMMUNITIES CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the Czech Republic’s Thematic priorities and SDGs: Sustainable development goals most important development cooperation partners. AFFORDABLE AND DECENTCLIMATE WORK AND INDUSTRY,LIFE INNOVATION REDUCEDLIFE SUSTAINABLEPEACE, JUSTICE CITIES RESPONSIBLEPARTNERSHIPS Over the past 20 years, the nature of cooperation has CLEAN ENERGY ECONOMICACTION GROWTH AND INFRASTRUCTUREBELOW WATER INEQUALITIESON LAND ANDAND COMMUNITIES STRONG CONSUMPTIONFOR THE GOALS evolved from humanitarian assistance from the Czech INSTITUTIONS AND PRODUCTION Republic through post-war reconstruction to the current scheme to support the stability and successful ICONS 48 ICONS 48 integrationICONS of Bosnia and Herzegovina into the CLIMATE LIFE LIFE PEACE, JUSTICE PARTNERSHIPS EconomicACTION When an icongrowth is onBELOW a square, WATER thatwith square mustONemphasis LAND be proportional 1 x 1. ANDon STRONG energyFOR THEfrom GOALS ICONS INSTITUTIONS European -
The Revolutions of 1989 and Their Legacies
1 The Revolutions of 1989 and Their Legacies Vladimir Tismaneanu The revolutions of 1989 were, no matter how one judges their nature, a true world-historical event, in the Hegelian sense: they established a historical cleavage (only to some extent conventional) between the world before and after 89. During that year, what appeared to be an immutable, ostensibly indestructible system collapsed with breath-taking alacrity. And this happened not because of external blows (although external pressure did matter), as in the case of Nazi Germany, but as a consequence of the development of insuperable inner tensions. The Leninist systems were terminally sick, and the disease affected first and foremost their capacity for self-regeneration. After decades of toying with the ideas of intrasystemic reforms (“institutional amphibiousness”, as it were, to use X. L. Ding’s concept, as developed by Archie Brown in his writings on Gorbachev and Gorbachevism), it had become clear that communism did not have the resources for readjustment and that the solution lay not within but outside, and even against, the existing order.1 The importance of these revolutions cannot therefore be overestimated: they represent the triumph of civic dignity and political morality over ideological monism, bureaucratic cynicism and police dictatorship.2 Rooted in an individualistic concept of freedom, programmatically skeptical of all ideological blueprints for social engineering, these revolutions were, at least in their first stage, liberal and non-utopian.3 The fact that 1 See Archie Brown, Seven Years that Changed the World: Perestroika in Perspective (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), pp. 157-189. In this paper I elaborate upon and revisit the main ideas I put them forward in my introduction to Vladimir Tismaneanu, ed., The Revolutions of 1989 (London and New York: Routledge, 1999) as well as in my book Reinventing Politics: Eastern Europe from Stalin to Havel (New York: Free Press, 1992; revised and expanded paperback, with new afterword, Free Press, 1993).